By general definition, a microbial ecologist is a scientist who studies the interaction among microorganisms (all organisms that cannot be seen with a naked eye) and the biogeochemical processes they perform in any environment. This study area is multidisciplinary. For instance, one needs to have an understanding of microbiology, biochemistry, ecology and, in my case oceanography. 

My work is specifically based on determining ‘who’ lives in the ocean, ‘what’ they are doing and ‘how’ they contribute to enabling the ocean to sustain marine life and mitigate climate change processes. This work is crucial as microbes are abundant throughout the ocean depth and in the seafloor. They are also the base of the ocean food web and capable of biogeochemical cycling of carbon, nitrogen, iron, phosphorus and others. By combining oceanographic variables (e.g. effect of ocean currents and nutrient concentrations) with sequencing data, we are able to infer important functional processes and the environmental factors affecting microbial communities and ecosystem function. This snapshot has provided insight into microbial community diversity and functionality for ongoing monitoring of the Southern Ocean, an area subject to significant environmental change due to climate change.